Nothing.

A concrete slab waned to the side, the brick crumbled under its weight. She peaked inside.

Nothing again.

Uravity listened intently for any sound - a rustle, a whimper, something - anything to tell her where a survivor may be pinned, but with the blaring of sirens on the scene, she and her partner were looking blind. The sun had already set, painting the sky a deep red fading to purple towards the zenith, and Uravity was getting to her limit. For hours they had searched through the rubble, carefully removing pieces of concrete, cut steel beams, and drywall to rescue any survivors. When Uravity had gotten the call that afternoon, a pit had fallen into her stomach. Incidents such as this had been happening way too often recently. A series of loud bangs and then an entire apartment building crumbles to the street below, trapping the residents in a tomb of cement, bricks, and mortar. It took everything in her to be positive today, to get on scene, and begin rescue operations, using her anti-gravity quirk to quickly remove rubble and save people.

Unfortunately, the minute they had arrived, they were given large, black bags, and Uravity could tell that the effort had already been declared a recovery project.

"C'mon, Flashlight, let's try the next pile," Uravity asked of her young charge as she moved away from the crater they had dug.

She wearily looked up at him as he moved his illuminated palms, the light resting on a wide chunk of concrete that was balanced on top of the rubble. Uravity was glad to have Flashlight as her partner this afternoon. Although they had only been working together for a few months, his usefulness could not be overstated. His quirk "Bright Hands" was perfect for these types of missions, enabling him to shine light from the palms of his hands at any intensity on the visible spectrum. His black, full-body costume was specially tailored to reduce the reflection of his person to maximize the use of the light he emmitted. With a helmet like one big pair of sunglasses, he had ensured he couldn't blind himself during combat...not that there had been much of that lately. Since he had been hired, they were mostly called to these sort of disaster missions. After the first two, he had also ordered atac boots to elongate the amount of time he could spend on his feet in difficult terrain searching for people. Now, their only limit was Uravity's weight limit, something she had been working on, but would never be infinite.

And neither was his light. As Uravity gingerly removed pieces of rubble and checked the uneveness of the platform, the light dimmed slightly and then became bright again as Flashlight pushed himself to provide the right amount of brightness. Clearly, they were both getting tired.

"I think we'll call it after this section," Uravity murmured to him as she lifted the giant concrete chunk using her quirk. It floated weightlessly, but at this point, she was really pushing it. Her stomach churned from the strain and she figured her face was a shade of green at this point. There were so many things a hero had to come to terms with, a laundry list of accepted facts. The first one was one's own limits, in quirk and in body. Super powers or no, every hero was still human.

"No, I can keep going! What if in the next pile someone is waiting for us to rescue them? We can't stop now," Flashlight pleaded, but Uravity shook her head, his light reflecting off her helmet's visor.

She moved the large slab, placed it gently to the side, then put her hands together to release her quirk. It shifted slightly as its weight returned, threatening to slide down the side of the rubble hill. Uravity watched it for a second and then pressed on.

"We're coming to our limits," Uravity argued as she dug into the new hole.

Flashlight argued back. "I know I'm brand new and a sidekick, but I promise, dimming doesn't mean much. I can go for a lot longer."

He was lying. Uravity smirked and kept working. This sidekick was such a fiery, determined guy. He reminded her of, well, herself back in the day. Just like her, he had interned with Ryukyu while attending school, and had become such an asset to the office's rescue and recovery efforts that he was hired right out of highschool. Although still a sidekick herself, once Flashlight had been hired, Uravity noticed a profound change in herself. She had already checked off some items on that laundry list of hard truths. His was brand new, no marks yet. Where he was still hopeful in finding survivors in this disaster, Uravity knew, already, that there weren't any to be found. They were here simply to clean up, put on a show for a naive public, and recover bodies so their families could bury something.

It had only been two years since she had graduated from UA, and since then, while working as a sidekick with Ryukyu and Nejire, the second harsh truth kept presenting itself: you can't save everyone. The chances to save people were lost so quickly. Humans were incredibly fragile. Even live people pulled from disasters like this had only a small chance of making it.

It had been hours since the building fell, all ten stories of it. Anyone bleeding out under all this rubble was surely dead by now. Even so, she held out a torch for a miracle, just not as brightly as Flashlight did.

As she removed another large slab out of the way, a glitter caught her eye. "Gimme some light over here," Uravity said quickly.

Sensing the tenseness in her voice, Flashlight jumped into action, his bright palms sending light down into the cavity Uravity had uncovered. As Uravity moved in, she realized the glittering light was the reflection out of a diamond nestled in a ring worn by a pale, lifeless hand. Upon further inspection, Uravity grimaced to find the hand belonged to no one. She heard Flashlight let out a pained sigh.

This wasn't the first time either of them had seen a severed body part. For Flashlight, this was still a painful defeat. For Uravity, this was far from the worst she had seen but there was something still so disconcerting about it. The nails were painted a light pink and that ring was so gorgeous. This hand had belonged to a woman, someone probably not much older than she, although probably married, given the placement of the ring. Who was it that would have to learn of her death? That this was all they could find? Although it had gotten easier to deal with – Uravity wasn't going to cry about this later – the realization that life could be so fleeting still sat heavy in her mind every time.

"I'm sorry," Uravity whispered to the lost life.

Ochako didn't have to fight too hard with Flashlight about returning to the offices after that. The two of them had worked eight hours straight in the early July heat and both of them were running on fumes. Flashlight had been awfully quiet after they found the hand, his confidence and hope taking a predictable hit. Ochako no longer let it bother her too badly. As Uravity, her quirk was best utilized in disaster situations, removing debris from ground zero and rescuing trapped civilians. Seeing this sort of thing was normal. As terrible as today had been, it wouldn't slow her down any. After all, she had stopped counting the number of people she had saved and all of the villains she helped put away after graduation. This wasn't a loss or a setback – it was just part of the job. Although she tried to lay this wisdom into her rookie partner, she knew he would have to come to his own philosphical conclusions and comforts just like she did, or quit.

As they walked through the front doors to the Ryukyu offices, the agency's namesake dragon lady held her nose, as did the usually bubbly Nejire. Both were standing in conference around Ryuko's front desk.

Nejire still approached them. "Do you guys know you really smell? Were you sweating a lot? I guess it's hot out there!"

Flashlight grumbled, but Ochako was used to Nejire's childlike behavior, and just nodded.

"Both of you go take your time showering, then meet us in the conference room. I want to hear the details about this mission and then I have some things to share," Ryuko explained as she waved them away.

The conference room was a plain, rectangular expanse with a large table that could seat more people than worked at the agency. The offices had changed and expanded slightly since Ochako had first started but Ryuko purposely had kept the team small. She believed in nurturing each hero individually, one by one, and keeping the office small kept communication simple. Promotions also came just as fluidly. As old sidekicks left and Nejire Hado moved from sidekick to, what was affectionately called, a "pro-partner", Ochako Uraraka was hired as the new rookie sidekick. Now that Ochako was more or less a veteran, Youta Kaijudento, hero name: Flashlight, had been hired as the new rookie sidekick. And all the while, interns and first year work-studies ebbed and flowed in and out of the agency. It was nice – it felt like a second family to Ochako, and in many ways it was. Her parents were still far away and as much as she hated to admit it, many of the friends she had made in highschool had become little more than enigmas...

Ochako entered the room, feeling re-energized from her shower and clean clothes. Ryuko kept the offices not all that much cooler than outside, so she was feeling glad she could change into a light, yellow blouse and jean capris for this meeting. She found Ryuko sitting at the head of the table, with Nejire and Youta sitting at either side, all generally in street clothes, waiting for her. Ochako took a seat next to Youta, a young guy not much younger than her with ashy brown hair and wide blue eyes. He had on casual cargo shorts and a blue shirt, probably expecting to go home after this meeting. Ochako smiled at him, but she only received a half-smile in return. She guessed he was still thinking about their work today, and folded her hands on the table top. Ryuko straightened the papers in front of her and began the meeting, taking in a knowing breath.

"So...how was it today?" she asked, her reptilian eyes reflecting her sympathy. Although the question was for official business, it was also familial, as if they had all just sat down to dinner. As much as Ryuko, a pro-hero, could deduce from her newest sidekick's down-trodden glance at his hands and Ochako's weary eyes, this report needed to be made. Nejire sat with pen ready to make the report for their tired comrades.

Ochako let out a strained breath, relieving Youta of this duty, "It was like it has been. No survivors. The building collapse happened at 11:20 today, Flashlight and I arrived on scene no later than 11:45. We began recovery duty."

"They didn't begin with rescue?"

"I suppose they didn't feel it necessary. Ambulances were on scene as soon as we were, though."

"Tell me about the building."

"Ten story apartment building. Business front – a grocery store."

"Sounds exactly like the last two. Thank you, Uravity and Flashlight."

Nejire jotted this down as Ochako and Ryuko went back and forth. The dragon hero propped her head up with her right hand in thought. She appeared as troubled as Ochako felt about the current string of disasters. Ryuko was such an ambitious person and took her job very seriously, imparting her drive to always do better in the rest of the team, if inadvertantly.

Nejire piped in. "Sorry, sorry, but did you guys find anything?"

"A hand," Youta said flatly.

Nejire nodded. It sucked to have to ask for that information, and she filled in the line quietly. Ryuko's expression sank with more sympathy and she leaned over and touched Youta's shoulder. It was clear to all of them that the constant failures were sinking into his confidence in hero work.

"I'm sorry we've been dealing with such a long string of recovery efforts, Kaijudento-kun. Believe me, not being able to save these people hurts me, too. Whatever villain is responsible has certainly become good at the quick and swift sort of mass murder," she removed her hand as Youta loosened up. "And the public seems to understand this. The police department has been very good at taking this seriously and assuring the public we are doing everything we can to get to the bottom of it."

Ryuko's demeanor changed, a small, bright smile appearing on her lips as she lifted the papers in front of her. Just as Ochako figured, every pro-hero considered their failures, the scope of their powers, their inability to be anything but human, and carried on from there. Ryukyu was probably the pro-hero best known for also being her harshest critic. It was something Ochako admired, and it had been one of the factors that had kept her at this office after graduation. There was no one better to learn humility in this profession than Ryukyu.

"I think it goes without saying that all of you have done such a great job. To me, you are all seasoned heroes, and I'm glad we work together," Ryuko was also great at buttering up her staff, and after days like this one, it was welcomed. "For our efforts, the public puts us in a positive light. Our office has garnered a new nickname."

Nejire perked up, squishing her hands against her chest, her eyes becoming wide with wonder. "Oh! Oh! Don't they call us the Sky Trio? Is it because us three can kind of fly?" She pointed to herself, Ochako, and Ryuko.

Ryuko nodded bashfully and giggled. "So, I guess you have heard."

Youta pouted, crossing his arms. He couldn't complain – he had only been with the office for a few months, but the exclusion didn't hurt any less.

"I kind of like it. It helps to distinguish what we are capable of and how we operate, for the most part," Ryuko continued, giving an amused, but sympathetic side glance to Youta. She looked down at the table again in thought, choosing her words carefully. "I explored this idea and thought about our quirks, and I found that there is a big difference between Hado's quirk, my quirk, and Uraraka's quirk."

Ochako arched an eyebrow. "What is that?"

Ryuko sighed and said, "Hado and I have powered flight. We can easily change our direction in mid air, but that's not as easily done with your anti-gravity quirk, Uraraka. Your quirk is essentially a straight line if you choose to use it on yourself and fly. As you go higher, landing becomes more and more dangerous, regardless of support items. This has worried me for some time..."

Ochako, feeling offended, gently defended herself, "But...there's no reason for me to go that high. It's just something I wouldn't consider doing. I know my limits."

Ryuko nodded. "You definitely do. I have no doubt in your abilities Uraraka, in fact, I'd like to promote you to Partner in the near future, essentially making The Sky Trio a reality. But that means that you would always be going on missions by yourself, as you did today, and if this nickname gets popular, the public may question why you don't fly. I want you to be able to use your quirk to its highest potential, make tough calls and go beyond without feeling that limitation. Desperate situations call for desperate actions, and as the great hero you are becoming, I know you will want to take them."

Ochako nodded in understanding as Nejire giggled.

"This is a very round about way of telling us you're hiring someone new," Nejire said, making Ryuko blush a bit.

Composing herself, Ryuko continued, "Yes, I am hiring a new intern. His name is Asuka Dakuro, hero name Krow. He has powered flight, much in the same way as Hawks."

"So, he's a bird?" Nejire asked.

"Yes, he's essentially a bird, but I'll let him introduce the full spectrum of his quirk Monday when he starts," Ryuko answered with a tired smirk. "With that being said, I am also changing the roster. Kaijudento will now be working primarily under Hado, and I am putting Dakuro's training completely in your care, Uraraka."

The news came like an unexpected slap to the back, almost knocking the wind out of Ochako. Her progress had felt slow over the past two years. There hadn't been a particular date in which she went out and completed missions on her own. It just happened one day. The past three missions that Flashlight had tagged along, she wasn't teaching him anything, they just worked in tandem. This would be different. It would be the first time she would be the one teaching another budding hero the ropes, officially, from scratch. The longer she thought about it, the harder it seemed. She would essentially be teaching this new intern muscle memory, not by-the-book facts that he would be getting at school. Ochako fumbled with her hands visibly on the table top, the anxiety rising. Ryuko noticed this and smiled warmly.

"Consider this a sort of test," the dragon hero said softly. "Hado and I will be around for advice, but I want to see you spread your own wings as a pro-hero and show us what you got. That being said, the next big case is your's!"

Every hero had that list of things to realize and grow from as their professional careers took off. You have limits. You are only human. You can't save everyone. Those bits of wisdom, although imparted in words to every budding hero while in school, were best learned the hard way. The best way to learn one's limits was to break through them and suffer soreness in the morning. The best way to learn you are only human is to take on too much responsibility, fail...and suffer soreness in the morning. The best way to learn you can't save everyone is to find a severed hand after eight straight hours of searching for and expecting survivors...

But one bit of wisdom that was never relayed to Ochako in school was perhaps the biggest no-brainer:

You live a double life.

Uravity was a successful sidekick working at the Ryukyu offices. A prestigious agency to work in, given the head honcho was still sitting pretty within the Top 10 heroes of the country and known internationally for her unique quirk. Uravity also had a unique quirk: Anti-gravity, how cool is that? She is a hero who can clear rubble in a jiffy alongside the super-strength heroes. She was popular. She was awesome. Uravity was one of the up and coming in her neighborhood. She was poised for greatness, surely within the next wave of Top 10 heroes, just like her mentor. When Ochako became Uravity, she was reaching her dreams of providing for her family, making a name for herself, and living in the limelight while making a difference in the world. Uravity inspired others, just like Ryukyu, Thirteen, and All Might once did...

But...when the pink and black suit came off and she donned her street clothes, she was just...Ochako. A young woman living alone in a small, one-bedroom apartment close to the Ryukyu offices. A girl still fumbling through life, attempting to figure out adulthood and independence and all of those strange "privileges". Was there a life outside of heroics? She didn't spend much time in this universe, but surely it still counted for something. There was time here to sleep, to eat, and maybe see a friend or two. That was all.

Her highschool self had proclaimed there wasn't much time for this universe and all its possibilties, and so, she had pushed the one thing she selfishly wanted away. A hero was selfless. A hero's wants came second to their sworn duty. Like her, he also straddled these two worlds, and if she didn't believe in space for something more between them, then why even ask for it?

Ochako mulled over this as she leaned against her car, her cheeks becoming rosy over the thought of him and then over how technical she had become. The breeze coming in from the sea felt nice against her clammy skin. The sun had disappeared for the night and yet, its unforgiving heat still lingered, just like the memories of that one thing she had selfishly wanted; him. Apparently.

She always considered the past when she picked up Tsuyu from the docks. Unlike Ryukyu, Nejire, or Youta, Tsuyu was like a time machine, reeling her back to UA, class 1-A, to Iida, to Todoroki, to...to Deku. Whereas her colleagues would only ever discuss the Hero Universe, Tsuyu bounced between both the hero and personal lives Ochako lived. And she hated it. Uravity had news; Ochako had confusion. Uravity was running forward; Ochako was standing still.

Once Ochako saw Tsuyu's tired face, and heard her dear friend ribbit cheerfully after a successful deployment at sea, she softened. After all, it wasn't Tsuyu's fault Ochako had torn herself in half.

It was late, but the girls always hit up a diner after Tsuyu returned from sea. A nice hot meal she could specially order was one thing the frog hero missed while living on a federal vessel. Living off any old thing found in the ship's cabinets between official meals got repetitive. Nevertheless, Tsuyu enjoyed her work with the coast guard. Living out at sea for weeks at a time was exhilerating and catching bad guys who thought the ocean wide enough to hide in was the icing on the cake. It was an incredible experience that Ochako enjoyed hearing about. Likewise, Tsuyu was always impressed with Ochako's work and listened intently.

Tsuyu's friendship was unique among her current relationships. Here was someone she basically grew up with – they had blossomed into two capable heroines together. Unlike most of their other classmates, Ochako clung onto this relationship with all her strength. Likewise, it seemed Tsuyu also put in the effort, and both girls had successfully remained in each others lives. They had done so much together through the years, even spending time at the same internship offices!

"Oh, Hado and Ryukyu send their regards," Ochako finished her update.

"Kero," Tsuyu replied, happy to hear from her former mentors.

There was a short bout of silence between them as Ochako took in a mouthful of her salad. It was just about that time, now that they had both completely updated each other about their feats in heroics, it was time to delve into...

"So," Tsuyu cut off Ochako's thoughts, as if this conversation was necessary, like ripping off an old band-aid. "How is it going with Shun-kun?"

She didn't choke. She didn't gasp or flail, but a pit did fall straight through her stomach. Ochako quickly swallowed her salad, using those precious seconds to prepare.

"It, um," Ochako stalled, rumaging through her salad as if the words were in there somewhere amongst the romaine, and refusing to make eye contact with her froggy friend. "It didn't work out," she finally spit out.

Tsuyu stared at her. She then characteristically put a long fingertip up to her mouth as she said, "I thought your first date with him was the same night I left on this last trip. How could it be over already, I wonder?"

Ah, yes, how could it be over before it even got going?

"I thought you were excited for this one?" her friend continued, almost knowingly.

"I was..." Ochako's voice trailed off into a mumble.

Tsuyu pressured her to continue, "So? What happened?"

What happened was the same old thing that happened to every poor guy who thought he could get with Uravity. They vied for a heart that wasn't home.

Ochako had met Shun Nyusu after work. He was a reporter working on a story and had come to the Ryukyu offices for a quote or two. One thing led to another, and Ochako, at this point, couldn't remember what those things were. But Shun had been cute and gentlemanly, and for a hot second she thought this could work out. Maybe she could make time for a real relationship now. But something felt off. Something was missing, and she couldn't put her finger on it. So they went on a ton of dates, he met her for lunch, stayed over her apartment for scary movies...but, as much as she wanted it to work, it just wasn't. It was forced. But why?

After a run of the mill date with him at some restaurant or other, Ochako rolled into her apartment as if she had been sleep walking throughout the entire ordeal. She felt unbelievably tired, drained, like he was sucking the life out of her. But it wasn't him, was it? He had no such quirk, and he was nothing but nice. It's me. Maybe I'm just depressed, she had considered.

She got into her pajamas, got out the trusty tub of ice cream, with the big spoon, and plopped onto the couch. She sat in the dark for a full minute before setting the ice cream down on the coffee table in a powerful show of pure willpower.

She blankly turned on the TV, the blue light illuminating the dark hole Ochako found herself in. She hadn't even realized what channel it was turned to, the volume down low, but that voice was unmistakable. She didn't even have to look at the screen for her body to react in a way she hadn't felt since...well, since she had last spoken with him. Against her better judgement, she didn't change the channel, but instead looked up and straight into his green eyes.

Whatever they were interviewing him about, he was trying to escape, but, oh gosh, he was the same kind, easily flustered Deku he had always been. A smile crawled onto her face as she watched him struggle with the reporter before the scene changed back to whatever disaster Deku had been called to. And damn had he grown. Taller now, and filling in his hero costume better than he had in school, Deku was an impressive sight to the people he saved and actually intimidating to the villains he pursued (despite his relentlessly messy hair and speckled cheeks). The lucky reporters had gotten to witness Deku and a number of other heroes taking down the villain. Of course, it didn't seem like Deku had needed any help. One powerful smash and the villain was calling uncle. The news and public absolutely loved Deku, but they didn't know him like she did...like she had. As powerful as he was, he was also the gentlest person she had ever met, and a total dork, and a hard worker, and an incredible strategist, and...and...

She watched the news loop, and allowed herself to melt at the soothing sound of his voice. Like a pheonix rising from the ashes, so, too, did her affections for the green hero reignite. That's what was missing. This passion was missing, this fire. This longing...this pining... How could Uravity date someone else when Ochako was still in love with Izuku?

She considered calling him. This news segment was from earlier in the day, surely he was home by now, not doing anything. She even picked up her phone, found his cell phone number, but never pressed "Call". Things didn't feel that easy anymore.

The whole class had promised to stay in touch, but with each month that passed after graduation, another friend dropped off the face of the Earth. Ochako refused to give up for a long time. She would invite the girls out to dessert, texted Iida, and made special time to call Izuku, even if it was about nothing at all. Just to hear his voice, just to feel like the divide between them wasn't widening everyday he lived at the opposite end of the city, worked crazy hours, and almost never returned her calls. Slowly but surely, adult life and hero work took priority over friendship. She didn't blame him. The news adequately reminded her he was busy (insanely so!), and she stuffed her feelings down again. After a while, she felt as though she had no right to demand he call her or keep their friendship alive on such strained circumstances.

And shortly after that, she finally let it go. She dropped the phone back onto the couch, glanced up at the clock, read 10:30pm, and convinced herself he was probably asleep. It had been another harsh reality Ochako learned while being a hero and this one she applied to her current state of affairs:

You will miss your chance.

Whether it was missing the opportunity to save someone, or missing the chance to confess one's feelings for another, this sort of failure would always sting the most.

But she wasn't telling that to Tsuyu, who, for the past silent minute, was waiting for an answer.

"Oh, you know...can't force these kinds of things. Just ended up not feeling right," Ochako said, feeling as though it was actually the truth, just not a lot of it.

Ochako knew Tsuyu wasn't stupid. The frog girl, although blunt and not particularly interested in romance, could easily deduce what Ochako meant. They were best friends, not to mention Ochako wore her heart on her sleeve. She couldn't hide her feelings even if her life depended on it. By the time third year rolled around, Tsuyu knew exactly who Ochako was crushing on, and she could only guess that he was the reason Ochako's gentleman callers were shooed away everytime. Most weren't even given a chance, so Shun's week and a half was respectable.

Ochako steered the conversation away from her love life and back to a more manageable topic.

"So, you haven't been home, but Momo sent invitations out for a party at her place," Ochako said, shrugging off the last conversation and excitedly plunging into this one. "She said it's like a reunion."

"A class reunion after only two years, kero?" Tsuyu questioned, bringing her finger to her chin again.

"It's not official, but, well, you know," Ochako gestured towards her friend. "When's the last time you heard from Mina? From Tooru? Ojiro?"

Tsuyu nodded. "So, everyone has had communication issues, I guess."

"Yeah, I like to think I'm not the only one who didn't realize how hard it would be after graduation," Ochako said, crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back into her chair. The waiter came by and took their salad plates away.

Ochako added, "She said over the phone the other day that she got everyone to come. I made sure she planned it for a day after your deployment so you could come...if you wanted."

"Kero, thank you for thinking of me!" Tsuyu croaked happily.

The girls wondered together what everyone was like now. It felt like eons since the last time they really sat down and spoke to anyone in their class but each other. Ochako tried to remember just when it was she fell off the edge of the Earth. She figured her last conversation with any of them had been with Izuku as she clung to have some contact with him. But then the anxiety and second guessing had moved in, and that had been the end of that. When Tsuyu reached out one final time to keep their friendship alive, Ochako grasped that outstretched hand and refused to let it go again. Since then, Ochako drove Tsuyu to and from the docks for long deployments, and they scheduled in dinners together, because god dammit, they were not going to let this die. One out of twenty friendships was still a success in this story.

They decided to go to Momo's reunion together.